The Celestial Princess and Her Suitors

Chapter Eighteen: Loke

Lucy lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of her new bedroom. Minnie's house was a beautiful, colonial-style house, painted a pretty, light blue color with a white design that reminded Lucy of frost. The front and back porches were also painted white, with potted flowering plants on both porches. The house was close to the outskirts of Crocus, making the surrounding area quiet and calm.

Lucy's bedroom was on the second floor and relatively large in size. The paint that covered the walls was gold in color. The floor was wooden and had a large carpet that was red with gold-colored designs in the middle of the floor, laying underneath the queen-size, canopy bed frame. Double glass doors were on one side, leading to a white balcony. On the opposite side of the room was the bedroom door, leading to the main hallway. Directly across from the bed was a connecting, spacious bathroom. The bed was large with white bed posts and a canopy frame. Contrasting the light color scheme that seemed to be forming in the bedroom, black curtains were drawn shut around the bed.

Lucy was stiff as she stared upwards, her heartbeat quickening slightly and her breathing becoming a little shallower. She felt a feeling of dread beginning to fall upon her, confusion alongside it. Why was she feeling this way? She felt suffocated and trapped. She felt as though she was locked inside of a small, invisible cage that she had to escape. Why did she feel like this? She wasn't trapped. She wasn't in a cage. She shouldn't be feeling like she was still in her father's mansion. She shouldn't be feeling like she was in a gilded jail.

So, why was she feeling exactly that? Why was she feeling like she was a young child again, trapped in a large and empty house that caged her?

Her chest rose and fell at a slightly faster rate and she sat up, suddenly feeling panicked and having difficulty breathing. She looked around her at the black curtains that surrounded the bed. It seemed as though the thin, dark material became more solid, like walls, and began closing in on her.

As her breathing became shallow and fast and a feeling of panic and dread befell her, becoming light-headed, she also became overcome with a nauseating feeling. Her stomach twisted, making her feel like she was going to vomit.

Lucy quickly climbed off of her bed and pushed through the black curtains, stumbling her way to the double glass doors before she made her way to the white railing of the balcony. She leaned over the railing and waited to vomit, however, no bile rose from her stomach. After a few minutes, she leaned away from the railing and slide down to the floor of the balcony.

The celestial wizard sat there for several minutes, her heart calming its pace and her breathing became more steady. The feelings of panic and dread subsided and she felt more grounded, like she wasn't going to faint again, as she ran her fingers over the keys that were hooked onto her belt. Focusing on the feeling of the smooth and hard keys helped her to ground herself.

She still felt trapped, though. Knowing that she couldn't stay much longer in the house, she stood up, holding onto the railing for a few moments to ensure that her legs were steady. She then walked back into her bedroom, slipped on her shoes, walked through the door, down the stairs, and out of the front door of the house.

As she walked into Crocus, Lucy wondered where she should go. She thought about going to Minnie's bakery and cafe, but quickly decided against it. Minnie had instructed her to stay home after observing that she seemed to be distracted and troubled. Lucy knew that arguing wouldn't do any good, so she lay back on her bed and tried to fall back asleep. She knew that Minnie would make her go back home, so she avoided the older woman's establishment.

Lucy knew that she was distracted and troubled. She hadn't made an attempt to hide it and wasn't surprised that Minnie had noticed. The young woman remembered when she first arrived at Minnie's house and saw what it looked like. She had been immediately reminded of her father's mansion. Minnie's house was expensive-looking and rather large. It was the type of house that a rich person would live in. The similarities to the place she had run away from were few, but still obvious to her. So obvious that she was unable to step into the house and was instead frozen as she stared at the house, unsure of if she would be able to live in it. After several tense moments, she had been broken out of her mind by Minnie, who asked if she was alright. Lucy had assured the older woman that she was fine and forced herself to continue moving into the house.